Fahey up, Knott down (!)

[Jenius]

Yea...playing Fahey at 1st might be "moronic"....as you put it. But playing Gomez there and Fahey at SS is not.

Yes, it is.

I don't know why they brought Fahey up anymore than you do, BUT how can you judge a move that you don't KNOW the reason for ???

Because there is no conceivable good reason for bringing up a player who can't even hit AAA pitching, when we already have one of the league's worst hitting teams. As someone else pointed out, if Bako hitting 7th in our lineup is ever any sort of consideration at all, something has gone horribly wrong. But I think we all knew that already, didn't we?

[Mad Mark]

You know' date=' we always make jokes like "Knott must've run over Perlozzo's dog" or "Knott must've slept with Duquette's wife", etc. But have we considered the possibility that he really is a huge jerk? Management isn't interested in him, I've never heard the players mention him, I've already talked about how the press is unwilling to take up his cause. Maybe people who know him actually do hate him. Has anyone ever met him, talked to him? Is he an awful human being?[/quote']

When we got him, I checked with a former Beavers teammate, who posts on another message board. He vouched for him, and had roomed with him in 06, so I don't think it's that. I really have to believe it's the fact that he fills that DH/LF slot that will be crowded for a while to come...

[Miller192]

I'm not reading through 10 pages of posts but, who cares? Neither of these guys were going to make any real impact on this team. I mean, you're talking about part time players who have little chance of effecting the outcome of games. Do I agree with the move, no. I just think its a non-event.

Why do we have to go through a Luis Terrero lovefest every summer?

[Mad Mark]

Here's my guess, and it's only a guess, but keyed somewhat to the Trembley quote about Fahey being this teams' kind of player:

You've got a starting staff that is (mostly) pitching lights out, and a bullpen that may be recovering from 1/3 season of abuse. Your offense is going to be mediocre at best, even with Jon Knott facing lefties. You bring Fahey up for a week or two to rest somebody for a game or two, then flip him back down for Knott, or bring up a bat after somebody gets traded.

Thorne and/or Palmer mentioned that Gomez was going to a) get a day off, b) play some first, or c) spell Roberts when he gets a day off.

This is an NL-style, pitching and defense, small-ball team until at least July 31, so we may as well settle in and enjoy the ride.

[Moose Milligan]

So has anyone figured out who's responsible for this move yet? Who pulled the trigger? MacPhail? D&F? Trembley?

[mikezpen]

They don't need Fahey when they can use Bynum and Gomez to rest the regulars.They already have what has to be the weakest-hitting bench in ML Baseball and it's already cost them games.

They bring up Fahey and ship off Knott after he goes 0-for-3 in ONE game? There is no explanation; it's just another mindless, inexplicable roster move like dozens of others they've made over the years.

Basherman, you really think that JUly 31 is going to mean anything significant other than being the last day in July?

[Dr. FLK]

Any GM has probably practically punted this season

Then it sure is a good thing we rushed and made a change in mid-season, right before the deadline. This is the BEST time to see what we have going forward. This is when House and Knott should be here to show if they can be viable options in the field as well as with the bat. I think we can all agree we've seen what Fahey can do. And, we know he cannot hit minor league pitching, and he sure as heck can't hit major league pitching. If McPhail has punted this season, then he's in no way the solution he was made out to be.

[Dr. FLK]

So has anyone figured out who's responsible for this move yet? Who pulled the trigger? MacPhail? D&F? Trembley?

McPhail said he's in charge of baseball decisions, didn't he? So, in one way or another, he has to be responsible.

[DrungoHazewood]

I'm not reading through 10 pages of posts but, who cares? Neither of these guys were going to make any real impact on this team. I mean, you're talking about part time players who have little chance of effecting the outcome of games. Do I agree with the move, no. I just think its a non-event.

Why do we have to go through a Luis Terrero lovefest every summer?

Why do we have to go through a ridiculous argument evey summer with the front office apologists who think that a bench is something you use only in case of emergency? And the same argument with people who think anyone who hasn't been anointed a Major League Star™ is a useless waste of space.

My God! Can't you see how having Gibbons, Patterson, and Huff playing 162 games against left-handed pitching has a tremendous negative impact on the outcome of games? Do you think the '82 or '83 Orioles would have been just as good if Earl or Altobelli had just said "Screw it, who needs platoons? We'll just play Benny Ayala 150 games a year. Sure, he'll hit .175 with no power against righties, but that won't have an impact on the outcome of games, will it?"

We have a Terrero lovefest every summer because every single freakin' year the Orioles leave a guy like Terrero to rot in the minors while they screw around playing 3rd-rate players in awful situations they can't handle in the majors, and every single freakin' year they win 75 games!!!!!

[DrungoHazewood]

This is an NL-style, pitching and defense, small-ball team until at least July 31, so we may as well settle in and enjoy the ride.

Most NL teams only have one automatic out in the lineup. This team could have as many as four or five depending on how much they ignore platoon splits.

[Eli Eon]

Although I am certainly most likely in the minority on this thread (albeit, I did not have time to read all 10 pages) I actually like this move. Of course I have always liked Fahey as a shortstop. He reminds me of the late Mark Belanger at the position and I don't know why. Maybe because he is lanky and thin and moves kind of like "The Blade." In any event, I think this move was made because Gomez will need a rest as he is not made to play short every day during the "dog days" of summer when it gets extremely hot and humid, especially at Camden Yards.

I think this move shows that Trembley does not like Bynum at short and I would agree, after watching him attempt to play that position. I think Fahey will be great defensively and from watching him last season he does the little things well that don't show up in the box score or his BA like bunting, advancing runners, and just being a scrappy, hustling player all around. I think this sends a message that this is the type of player the Orioles covet and that is one who works hard and gives his all even though he may not necessarily have the highest degree of skills.

[Mark Carver]

In 2006, the Orioles PH'ers hit a pathetic 088/131/088/219 (pitchers hit 211/250/368/618), can the 2007 Orioles break that? Maybe not at they are hitting 185/258/370/628, but with moves like bringing up Fahey, their trying.

[DrungoHazewood]

Although I am certainly most likely in the minority on this thread (albeit, I did not have time to read all 10 pages) I actually like this move. Of course I have always liked Fahey as a shortstop. He reminds me of the late Mark Belanger at the position and I don't know why. Maybe because he is lanky and thin and moves kind of like "The Blade." In any event, I think this move was made because Gomez will need a rest as he is not made to play short every day during the "dog days" of summer when it gets extremely hot and humid, especially at Camden Yards.

I think this move shows that Trembley does not like Bynum at short and I would agree, after watching him attempt to play that position. I think Fahey will be great defensively and from watching him last season he does the little things well that don't show up in the box score or his BA like bunting, advancing runners, and just being a scrappy, hustling player all around. I think this sends a message that this is the type of player the Orioles covet and that is one who works hard and gives his all even though he may not necessarily have the higest degree of skills.

I like things that actually show up in the box scores. Like runs.

[morris]

I like things that actually show up in the box scores. Like runs.

Me too, so let's judge the move by how the team does in the win and loss column.

[Eli Eon]

Me too, so let's judge the move by how the team does in the win and loss column.

Uh, color me stupid but wouldn't an upgrade defensively at shortstop help by possibly enabling more double plays as well as Fahey having more range than Tejada allowing him to get to more balls hit in the hole or near second base?

Fahey's no Tejada at the plate but he is better defensively by far. He also is a good bunter, base stealer, and hustles his tail off. I don't see how anyone can not like this kid.

At any rate, we are not really looking at him as replacing Tejada but rather replacing Gomez/Bynum at short. This move is going to help this team, I guarantee it. Knott wasn't doing anything anyhow other than warming the bench, and he wasn't exactly tearing it up in the minors either.